This week, the House and Senate Appropriations full and subcommittees approved FY2009 spending bills for Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies; Financial Services; Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education; Agriculture; and Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies.
Additional information on programs relevant to women and their families will be available when the committee reports accompanying each bill are printed.
Senate Action
Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
On June 19, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved, by unanimous consent, the FY2009 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies spending bill (as-yet-unnumbered). The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies passed the measure on June 18. The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies approved their version of the bill on June 12 (see The Source, 6/13/08).
According to a committee press release, the FY2009 spending bill would provide a total of $57.9 billion in discretionary spending for programs in the Departments of Commerce and Justice, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Science Foundation, and eight related independent agencies. The recommendation is $6.1 billion above the 2008 enacted level and $4.2 billion above President Bush’s FY2009 budget request.
During consideration of the bill, the committee adopted the following amendments by voice vote:
The measure would provide $400 million for programs administered under the Violence Against Women Act. Included in that amount is $185 million for grants to combat violence against women, a $1.2 million increase over FY2008. This amount includes:
Related Agencies
The measure also includes:
Financial Services and General Government
On June 17, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government approved, by voice vote, the FY2009 spending bill (as-yet-unnumbered).
According to a statement by Chair José Serrano (D-NY), the measure would provide $22.39 billion in FY2009, $1.541 billion more than FY2008 and $152.726 million above the president’s request.
The measure includes $697.444 million for the Executive Office of the President. Included in this amount is $1.4 million for the Office of National AIDS Policy “so that [the program] can move forward to develop a national AIDS strategy.”
The bill would provide $248.409 million for the operation of the District of Columbia Courts, $24.489 million more than FY2008 and above the administration’s request.
The Small Business Administration would receive $880.274 million in FY2009. The amount is a $311.286 million increase over FY2008 and $221.766 million above the president’s request. Included in this amount is $110 million for Small Business Development Centers.
Labor, Heath and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies
On June 19, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies approved, by voice vote, its FY2009 spending bill (as-yet-unnumbered). According to a press release from Chair David Obey (D-WI), the measure would allocate $153.1 billion in discretionary funds in FY2009.
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
According to the summary, the bill would provide:
The legislation also includes:
The measure would provide $1.7 billion in FY2009 for the Social Services Block Grant program at HHS, and $40 million more than last year for the Dislocated Workers program at the Department of Labor, which includes $22.5 million for a new “green collar jobs” training initiative.
Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies
On June 19, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies approved, by voice vote, its FY2009 spending bill (as-yet-unnumbered).
According to a subcommittee statement by Chair Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), the measure would allocate $20.623 billion in FY2009 discretionary spending, $2.5 billion more than FY2008 and $1.88 billion over President Bush’s request.
The measure would provide $6.801 billion for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program. This amount is $781 million over FY2008 and $550 million over the president’s request.
Rep. DeLauro said, “[W]e were forced to look realistically at the Women Infants [and] Children (WIC) program…In fact, for [FY]2009, WIC participation is expected to rise to 8.9 million people, yet the president’s request estimated only 8.6 million. So we increased the funding to meet the expected demand of an additional 300,000 women, infants, and children.”
Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies
On June 20, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies approved, by voice vote, the FY2009 spending bill (as-yet-unnumbered).
According to a statement by subcommittee Chair John Olver (D-MA), the bill would provide $108.3 billion in total budgetary resources for transportation and housing programs in FY2009. Of that amount, the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) would receive $4 billion, $134 million above FY2008 and $1 billion above the administration’s request.
